Arachidonic acid (ARA) is a polyunsaturated fatty acid belonging to the class of omega-6 fatty acid. Arachidonic acid can be found in animal and human, and is prevalent in brain, muscles, liver and blood tissues. It is also an essential fatty acid which cannot be synthesized in humans but necessary for growth and development. Nowadays, arachidonic acid is generally applied to an infant formula to provide sufficient nutrients to babies.
Methods have been developed to produce arachidonic acid in eukaryotic cells. For example, transgenic techniques have been applied to transform a fungus so as to obtain a fungal oil containing arachidonic acid. Currently, the main source of arachidonic acid is obtained from the transgenic Mortierella sp. However, the production cost of such a fungal oil is relatively high and the growth rate of the fungus is slow, e.g. at a rate of 48 hours per doubling.
Accordingly, there remains a strong need for developing an effective method or at least an alternative method to produce arachidonic acid, especially with a lower cost with good yield.